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Brian Wilson is now a free agent.

To remain with the Giants, Brian Wilson will have to do something that he avoids on the mound: compromise.

The Giants declined to tender a 2013 contract Friday to Wilson, the pugnacious closer who never gives in to hitters. This sent him into free agency and cast his future with the club into doubt.

With baseball's Winter Meetings slated to start Monday in Nashville, Tenn., general manager Brian Sabean said that the Giants were stalled in efforts to achieve their top goals -- retaining second baseman Marco Scutaro and center fielder Angel Pagan, both free agents. "If we don't have a deal, that tells you we're not close," Sabean said in a conference call.

Wilson, 30, remained eligible to sign with the Giants, the only organization he has played for since he was selected in the 24th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. But nothing indicated that the parties were progressing toward an agreement.

At issue were Wilson's health and the Giants' economics. Wilson made only two regular-season appearances this year before undergoing season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery on April 19. It was Wilson's second career reconstructive procedure, partly accounting for the Giants' reluctance to offer him a deal.

Wilson's price tag also dissuaded the Giants, who paid him $8.5 million this year. Under terms of the Basic Agreement, San Francisco couldn't cut his salary by more than 20 percent, which would have left his base pay at $6.8 million. That, the Giants figured, was still too much money to guarantee a reliever who might not pitch again. Earlier Friday, Sabean said that Wilson's recovery was proceeding at "a snail's pace" and reported that the right-hander was throwing at a 60-foot distance on flat ground.

So unless Wilson becomes willing to accept a relatively low base salary with lucrative bonuses, he has likely pitched his final game for San Francisco.

When healthy, Wilson ranked among the game's most effective and colorful performers. His 163 saves between 2008 and 2011 -- his reign as San Francisco's closer -- was the Major Leagues' highest total in that span. Also during that stretch, he allowed just 15.1 percent of inherited baserunners to score, another big league best.

The three-time All-Star has accumulated 171 saves, third in franchise history behind Robb Nen (206) and Rod Beck (199).

Wilson reached his zenith in 2010, when the Giants won the World Series for the first time since the franchise's relocation to San Francisco in 1958. He saved 48 games, matching Beck's 1993 single-season club mark. Wilson performed even better in the postseason, yielding no earned runs and recording six saves in 10 appearances. He threw the final pitch in each postseason round -- coaxing Melky Cabrera's groundout at Atlanta in Game 4 of their National League Division Series, slipping a called third strike past Ryan Howard at Philadelphia in Game 6 of the NLCS, and fanning Nelson Cruz at Texas in Game 5 of the World Series.

During Spring Training that year, Wilson said in an interview with MLB.com, "An elite closer is a closer who's part of a World Series win. If you get that final out in the final win of the season, then you can consider yourself elite."

Wilson began that fabled 2010 season clean-shaven but ended it with a long, thick beard, enhancing his fierce mound persona. "Fear the Beard" T-shirts and signs proliferated at AT&T Park during the Giants' stretch drive toward the NL West title. During the team's ceremonial White House appearance the following summer, President Obama looked over his shoulder, studied Wilson's beard and said approvingly, "I fear it."

Obsessed with maintaining his physical condition, Wilson began experiencing elbow problems in August 2011, a recurrence of the discomfort that forced him to undergo his first Tommy John surgery in 2003 while he attended Louisiana State University. In Spring Training of 2012, Wilson admitted that he pitched with elbow and hip pain through much of the 2011 season.

No surprises here. I could see someone like the Tigers overpaying for him.

Not sure about that. If the talk of Stephen Drew is accurate, that will probably cap off what they are looking to spend.

My guess is that the Tigers fill the spot internally and/or go by committee. I would like to get a look at Rondon in that role. They have vets in Dotel, Benoit, Coke who can close as well as Albequerque and Villereal. If they could pick up a vet who can close on the cheap, I would think they would be interested. I don't see them going big on anyone.

As for Wilson. I don't think he would be any better than what the Big Potato Valverde was last year.

He's going to generate a lot of revenue with his new team thanks to his beard schtick.

Comedy gold. One of the funniest players in the game

As a Tiger fan, I grew tired of Valverde's schtick. Not sure I wan't to go with Wilsons act either. Especially because I don't think he is as good as others seem to think. If it wasn't for his act, I doubt many people would talk about him at all.

As a Tiger fan, I grew tired of Valverde's schtick. Not sure I wan't to go with Wilsons act either. Especially because I don't think he is as good as others seem to think. If it wasn't for his act, I doubt many people would talk about him at all.

I don't like players who draw unnecessary attention to themselves either, but his numbers in the last 3 seasons from 2009-2011 (not counting 2012 in which he only appeared in 2 innings) are pretty good.

I don't know of Wilson's preferences since I've read he has interested in signing with the Dodgers or Red Sox, but I'd would not be upset to see Anthopoulos make him a 1-2 year offer to sign with the Blue Jays.